Armor 2

Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

…the fiery darts of the wicked.

Imagine you’re given liberty to see warfare in the spiritual realm. Christian is on the battlefield in the dark of night. In ancient days, there’s no electricity. Modern days, opposing military destroyed the power grid.

Spiritually, at this moment, the enemy has advantage, because Christian is in the dark, hiding in the long grass of a field. He is positioned in the middle of the battle. Hiding while trying to escape.

Why is he hiding instead of advancing?

You pick: he was offended, he believed a lie and opened a door through sin, he believed that it was okay to separate from the body of Christ, he thought something else could calm his pain other than Jesus, he was taught doctrines that led him astray. Vain imaginations, a high thing trying to exalt itself. I really don’t know what his story is or why he’s there. I just know that he’s there, he’s in the dark, because his light is off.

So he watches the night sky is lighten as the fiery darts of the enemy whistle towards the fortress of the kingdom that he’s been translated into, but he’s not where he’s supposed to be and:

They’re hitting his home, his family, his church, his nation, every person that he loves. But the master plan is to destroy His faith.

Christian faces battles everyday. The onslaught will not stop and he will either learn to fight God’s way, or He will be pummeled under the pressure, and quit. There are many POW’s and casualties in the kingdom.

O’ where is his faith. Where is his armor. Did he leave his shield of faith behind? How could he forget his faith?

Suddenly, he sees a remnant marching from the heavenly forces and they’re donning their shields. He doesn’t for fear of giving up his position, but he wants to scream, “No! Stop! Are you crazy? Don’t you see that there are more arrows than your little shields can withstand?”

Wait a second, he thinks. He rubs his eyes and looks again. Every step his brother’s and sisters take, their shields get bigger. The enemy’s arrows will produce no kill shot today.

Let’s talk about faith and arrows:

Matthew 8:24-28 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

He is a man of faith, and He has come to show us the way. We no longer have to live under fear.

28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

We can trust God in the assignment. We can lift our shield of faith and move forwards in the battle. We can tell the storm to stop whether it be physical or spiritual, and we can believe that God will make it come to pass. Mostly because when we face the storms or battles in life, we can rest assured that there is an assignment just ahead. In this case there were demon possessed men that needed deliverance, there are sick all around us. There are people struggling with depression and addiction and hopelessness of all sorts and God has given Christian a shield of faith and says get up warrior get up and walk towards my plan for your life. Have faith to believe that I will do what I said that I would do.

1 John 5:4-5  4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

He is the Son of God and all power and authority has been placed in Him and He has released it to His saints:

Luke 10:19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

This is more than just casting demons out of people. This is walking in victory over the power of demonic forces. If the people of God can’t get past the attacks of the enemy in their own lives, they can’t move forward in the battle; instead, they lie hiding in the grass stricken under a spirit of fear, as they watch their brother’s and sister’s forge forward in the battle.

Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

It’s the Lord that crushed the serpent’s head on the cross and it is the Lord that will crush Satan’s head under your feet today!

But we must have faith in what His word says. I don’t believe in the word of faith movement, but I believe in faith in His word!!

Fiery darts

Fiery Used 7 times in the NT 2 x specifically in a negative connotation: to be inflamed (burn with anger, burn with grief, burn with lust emulations [burning jealousy].

He’s trying to fortify his position in our lives by striking us with these fiery darts, but the word of God says that the believer is equipped with a shield of faith and all he has to do is pick it up and put it into action. Faith in God and faith in his word.

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

…the helmet of salvation

The helmet is clearly connected to salvation and salvation results in God’s Spirit living in you. God’s Spirit renews our mind and changes our mindsets/outlooks on life.

ILLUSTRATION: I imagine an enemy combatant with a club repeatedly battering a believer upside the head. Bombarding his mind with lies and oppositional thoughts against the truth of God’s word:

Satan wants to attack our body’s with sickness, but he usually starts with our minds, like he did with Eve in the garden. He wants to make us believe what he is saying vs God’s Word.

                   Ephesians 4:23-24. 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

1 Corinthians 2:16 …we have the mind of Christ.

Do we live in the last days?

• God called me many years ago with a specific word: preach my word for the way it is written.

• A King commands and his servants obey

Just as a Pastor is supposed to lead a congregation, believers are supposed to be part of a congregation.

READ Hebrews 10:23-25

Believers need to know where they are called to go to church. They need to pray and when He answers, go there and serve and pray for the ministry and the Pastor where you are, but, if you are a believer, then it is unacceptable, according to God’s word, for you not to be in the house of God!

Are you saying that it’s possible people here today are not called to be here? I am saying you must pray and here from God where you are supposed to be, because when you walk into the attack of a hornets nest and you aren’t ready to submit to God, and you aren’t sure that you’re supposed to be here, you’re about to take some unnecessary head shots.

Why would you say that one week before you sign papers to buy a building that the bank is requiring you to be responsible for?

It’s war time my friend.

It’s Gideon war time:

Judges 7:2-3 2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. 3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

• The Lord said, “Still too many”

• See who kneels and see who laps like a dog. He who laps like a dog keep and the rest let them go.

It was whittled down to 300 after he observed, in my opinion, who were the most watchful of the bunch.

Watchful: Be sober, be vigilant your adversary the devil roams like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

If he tells you that you don’t belong here. He tells me to leave because there is someone else that can do a better job, and under their preaching the church can finally grow. He tells me shut up. Look at them. They don’t want to hear what you have to say you fool. They would be happier without you!

I’m not leaving. I know what God told me, and there won’t be one of you standing next to me when I face my king.

So what I plan to do is gird my loins with truth, put on my breastplate of righteousness, shod my feet w the preparation of the gospel of peace, pick up my shield of faith, and wield my sword.

Let’s close with the sword and prayer

The sword is the word of God. There is a whole Bible worth of scriptures that I could use the re the word of God, and those are the same scriptures that you can use to sharpen your own sword, if you choose to do such a thing, but if you do, it will be done because you opened and divided the word for yourself, so let me use the word divide as my transition for my word scripture

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Prayer

Ephesians 6:18-19. 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19 And [prayer] for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

Armor 1

The Ephesian’s text says that we’re in a wrestling match. The second letter to the Corinthians tells us that we’re in a war. The effectiveness of Satan’s strategy hinges on lies and deception. If people gain access to the word of God, grab hold of it and believe, Satan’s grapple holds are broken and his aerial assault in the spirit realm loses its power. But, If he can get people, especially God’s people, to believe his lies, he gains a foothold and penetrates the fortress that God promises in His word. God does say in His word-does He not? He is our refuge, our strong tower, our ever present help in our time of need! Is God a man that He should lie? No! Let God be true and every man a liar is what His word says.

Satan plans to take the victory. His tactics are unrelenting and without a handle on God’s word there is no hope of victory. The Apostle Paul warns in the second letter to the Thessalonians that the last days would see a great falling away, an apostasia. It hasn’t  been fulfilled yet, but the trailer to the movie is projected weekly in Sunday sermons through the release of diluted messages at best and a scripture painted psychology at worst. Prayer to God has been exchanged for plans of man and the word of truth for a message of  motivation.

Jeremiah warned Israel “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their [own] direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?

• He is asking His people- what will you do when my longsuffering runs out and the end of mercy arrives, when it’s exposed and so many realize they believed a lie and loved it. And someone from the back screams, “Preacher, we know that’s OT stuff give us NT

• And he screams again, “But that’s talking about the world and the preacher softly responds, “No, that’s talking about those that didn’t believe the truth and took pleasure in unrighteousness.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Then we see Paul’s warning to the church take place before our eyes as people with itching ears are depart from the faith and surrender themselves under teachers with seared consciences that speak doctrines of devils. It’s so bad that it’s not a fracture in the armor, but there is no armor. God’s people are mercilessly thrown onto the battlefield naked every time they leave a church unprepared and without armor, sent into battle without the hope of truth.

Every element of this armor is forged in truth, because every element of this armor describes Jesus. For He is the belt of truth. He is the righteousness of God. He is the preparation of peace. He is the helmet of salvation. He is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. This is who He is, and the word of God says that I’m clothed in Him. Now, the only question is this, “Will I believe God’s word or Satan’s lies?”

Ephesians 6:14-15. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;…15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of  peace.

Stand- to make firm, establish a person or a thing, to sustain the authority or force of anything.

• Jesus Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Wrestling w/ spiritual entities that want to destroy souls, families, this church, the people we work with. The forces of evil are not happy! No, they are hungry for Christian blood!

Paul said in Romans 5:2 that you can stand because you have access to grace:

Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

• But you have to be willing to submit and resist JAS 4:7

Grace from God is forgiveness, but it’s also power from the Holy Spirit. It’s the kind of power that makes weak knees strong, sin sick hearts clean, and worried minds filled with songs of joy!

So…14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth…

Obviously, the opposite of truth are lies. Can words even describe the importance of God’s truth in a world bathed in Satanic lies? We are being assaulted from every angle by the lies of the world.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

• Imaginations-Reasoning hostile to the Christian faith.

The things that half of America is so upset about are not accidental. This is a plan to bring an ever worsening curse on the earth and allow sin to gain more dominance, because Satan and the fallen angels love filth. The dirtier it is, the happier they are. If the dove of the Spirit loves a clean bird bath, the raven of the air want a rotten, maggot filled carcass that leaches out into the water sinful infection and disease.

But what will combat the lies. What is the compass to keep us straight in the midst of this sin sickened world? God has given it to us. It is His Truth.

Put on your belt of truth soldier and let’s get going!

We’ve talked about the importance of the literal belt at the level of the loins and how it is associated with travel. Like a long flowing garment, lies will trip you up on your journey. You can’t run for Jesus if you’re swimming in a swamp of lies. Jesus said:

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

God’s life is connected to God’s truth! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. God gave us this whole book right here and this book reflects the truth that is Jesus, and if someone doesn’t  know it, they can’t live it; the name Christian can call itself believer and can find people to agree, but Christian w/out truth is being lied to, stolen from, and is about to be given a kill shot from the enemy.

John 17:16-19

16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Let’s slow down for a second

…Sanctify them through thy truth— to sanctify means to separate and make holy. Separate from what? The world. Make holy how? Pull you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Translate you from the kingdom of darkness and bring you into the kingdom of His dear Son. There is a lifeguard over here and he’s waving his arms and he’s screaming, “Hey, take this life preserver. Grab it, so I can pull you out of this swamp of lies that you’re swimming in.

…thy word is truth—people are sitting in churches because they are looking for something to fill their empty spots. As they sit there being fed a diet of watered down milk, God’s people anemic. The word of God does for the downtrodden what iron does for anemia. Peter said that repentance brings refreshing God’s word sanctifies, it separates, it makes   Holy because it convicts of sin and it cleanses from unrighteousness!

• Acts 3:19 a cooling, refreshing, recovery of breath, revival

• Anemia means you don’t have RBC’S, no RBC’S, no HGB, no HGB, can’t carry O2, no O2, no Energy. Christian with a diluted gospel, doesn’t know sin, doesn’t know sin, doesn’t know to repent, doesn’t know to repent, no refreshing

I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth—what does He mean? Is He saying that He wasn’t sanctified? No, He’s saying that He’s going to go to the cross in order to transition to His glorification. As the man of truth, He will die and resurrect in all power and glory. He will ascend and now be separated from common men. He will ascend and the Holy Spirit will descend. And Jesus, the lion of the tribe of Judah will sit at the right hand of the Father and make intercession for us. He will tell me and other preachers that will listen [to be a Noah- a preacher of righteousness in a sin-sickened world] tell them my truth son. They need my truth and He will tell you receive my truth daughter, my son. And those that won’t listen to Him. Most won’t because the cornerstone that God used as a foundation for everything that He’s building is the rock of stumbling, and a rock of offense because it’s God’s truth and it convicts of sin and no one wants to be convicted of sin, well, find another one then, because I’m going to preach it the way He wrote it, because that’s what He told me to do.

Psalms 119:9-11. BETH 9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalms 119:105-107 NUN 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments. 107 I am afflicted very much:  quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.

• afflicted- weakened, brow beaten

• Quicken- restore to life. His word will give you life

You are on a journey in a land of lies. You will not make it to your intended destination without His truth.

The belt of truth secures righteousness in its right place.

…and having on the breastplate of righteousness;…

It is supposed to be right here protecting your vital organs. Physically: this is called the mediastinum. It contains your heart, all the great vessels branching off of your heart (aorta, superior vena cava, inferior vena cava), your bronchial tubes. You take a shot with a hollow point that penetrates your mediastinum and you’re done w out a miracle.

The enemy is looking for a kill shot and he’s aiming straight for your heart. It’s your vital organ. It’s the place of fellowship between you and God.

1 Peter 3:15. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

The heart is the place that belongs to Jesus and the enemy wants to steal it from the Lord. He wants to fill that spot with unrighteousness. Jesus does not want to live in unrighteousness. He is loving, He is kind, He is longsuffering, but He does not like living in a pig pen, and He won’t stay there forever.

Let’s talk about this righteousness:

Psalms 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 7:1-3. 1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Romans 3:21-25. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Romans 5:17. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

So, Jesus is God’s righteousness and Jesus gave His righteousness to you as a gift by dying on the cross and paying the penalty for your sin, and when you put your faith in Him and His sacrifice, God the Father, clothed you in Jesus’ righteousness. Now, you have some righteousness. You have a breastplate of righteousness. What are you going to do with this gift of a breastplate of righteousness that has been given to you?

Revelation 19:7-8 KJV. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Revelation 19:7-8 NASB. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints..”

There is a righteousness given to the saint as a gift from Jesus when He died on the cross and there is the righteous life lived by the saints through grace from the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:25-27. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

I’m pretty sure that the word is clear that God is expecting us to live our lives righteously, empowered by the Holy Spirit!

Let’s talk about peace: w/out truth, no righteousness, w/out righteousness, no peace

…15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

ὑποδέω Shod- to bind under one's feet; to underbind. Like most Greek words, this word is a compound word. The prefix is the preposition [hupo], interestingly, literally under.

Unshod vs a shod horse— Wild horses will wear their hooves down gradually as they move from place to place over hard, arid terrain. However, domesticated horses work harder and will often wear down their hooves more quickly than they would out in the wild. Horseshoes shod the underneath and add durability and strength. The point to the illustration was to emphasize underneath.

A foot that’s shod with the gospel of peace means that there is peace guarding His walk. There is peace between the believer and the fallen earth. The believer is supposed to be walking on peace.

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

A person can’t have peace in their walk or in their life until they have peace with God, and that’s what this scripture is talking about. The unbeliever is not at peace with God.

Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Man, that seems hard. Really, it’s not near as bad as a lot of scripture, but don’t you think that’s the type of scripture that a seeker sensitive Pastor would avoid. I mean there is a whole Bible that you can preach from Pastor Matt why did you have to settle on that one, because enmity means hostility and hostility is an antonym of peace. Romans 5:1 is talking about peace with God. When a man or woman is justified [made righteous] in the eyes of God through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice, they’ve been made right with God and now they have peace with God, and once you have peace with God, you can have peace in your life, peace in your walk with God:

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians, Ephesians, 2 Corinthians, and 2 Peter start their letters by saying, Grace and peace to you, because where there is grace, there is peace. No wonder there are so many believers lacking peace in their lives. The world is filled and God’s people won’t read the word that tells them—friendship with the world is hostility with God.